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Form  I0O8. 

June,  1909. 

MISCELLANEOUS  INFORMATION. 


UNITED  STATES  CIVIL  SERVICE  COMMISSION. 

Your  communication  of  recent  date  is  herewith  returned,  and 
your  attention  is  invited  to  the  paragraph  or  paragraphs  below 
checked  thus  (V),  containing  information  /  relative  jto  the  subject 
of  your  inquiry.  V"  i  /  /  [■  / 

1.  Legal  residence  is  a  question  of  fact  and  is  one  which  the 
Commission  can  not  determine  for  an  applicant.  Legal  residence 
does  not  require  continuous  bodily  presence,  but  refers  to  the  place 
at  which  the  applicant,  if  a  voter,  is  legally  entitled  to  exercise  the 
right  of  suffrage.  Applications  for  examinations  for  positions  in  the 
departments  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  except  for  the  nonapportioned 
positions,  must  show  that  the  applicant  has  been  a  legal  resident  of 
the  county  in  which  he  claims  legal  residence  for  not  less  than  six 
months  next  preceding  the  date  of  his  application. 

I  A  married  woman  can  have  no  other  legal  residence  than  that  of 
tier  husband. 

A  woman  separated  from  her  husband  may,  for  the  purpose  of 
filing  an  application  for  examination,  claim  legal  residence  other 
than  that  of  her  husband,  but  she  must  furnish  a  sworn  statement 
on  Form  1643  of  the  facts  on  which  her  right  to  a  separate  legal  resi¬ 
dence  is  based.  Legal  residence  is  a  question  of  fact,  and  the  Com¬ 
mission  can  not  determine  for  any  applicant  what  his  or  her  legal 
residence  is,  but  will  decide  in  each  case  whether  the  evidence  pre¬ 
sented  establishes  the  claim.  The  legal  residence  of  minors  is  the 
same  as  that  of  the  parents  or  guardians. 

2.  The  position  concerning  which  inquiry  is  made  is  not  fided 
as  the  result  of  examination  held  by  this  Commission.  Address  the 

*  r]  ^  Department  in  which  employment  is  desired. 

ries  relative  to  the  duties  of  various  positions,  salaries, 
1  be  made  of  the  head  of  the  Department  or  office  in 
wnicn  employment  is  desired,  unless  such  information  is  contained 
inted  matter  furnished  by  the  Commission, 
examination  is  pending  for  the  position  concerning  which 
is  male,  and  applications  are  not  received  for  such  ex  ami- 
iLtil  it  is  announced.  Full  information  as  to  any  examina- 
iven  in  connection  with  its  announcement. 


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5.  No  information  concerning  an  examination  other  than  that 
contained  in  the  public  announcement  can  be  given. 

6.  Persons  who  are  not  in  the  classified  service  can  not  be  given 
noncompetitive  examinations  to  test  their  fitness  for  appointment 
to  positions  which  may  be  filled  as  the  result  of  competitive  exami¬ 
nations. 

7.  The  position  to  which  reference  is  made  is  filled  by  the  transfer 
or  promotion  of  persons  who  are  already  in  the  classified  service. 

8.  Examinations  as  a  rule  are  not  held  for  a  particular  Depart¬ 
ment  but  for  positions  in  the  general  departmental  service. 

9.  Unless  applicants  comply  with  the  regulations  as  set  forth  in 
the  announcements  of  examinations,  they  can  not  be  examined. 

10.  The  information  requested  will  be  furnished  if  the  name  of 
the  examination  is  given. 

11.  Appointments  to  the  positions  of  rural  agent  (formerly  route 
inspector  and  special  agent)  in  the  Rural  Free  Delivery  Service 
and  post-office  inspector  (unless  made  by  reinstatement)  are  made 
by  the  transfer  or  promotion  of  persons  who  are  already  in  the 
classified  service,  serving  in  or  under  the  Post-Office  Department 
or  in  the  office  of  the  Auditor  for  the  Post-Office  Department,  upon 
their  passing  noncompetitive  examinations,  which  are  held  by  the 
Commission  upon  the  request  of  the  Postmaster-General.  For 
information  relative  to  appointment  to  these  positions  application 
should  be  made  to  the  Postmaster-General,  Washington,  D.  C. 

12.  A  person  who  passes  an  examination  will  not  be  allowed  a 
reexamination  for  any  position  covered  by  the  same  examination 
until  approximately  one  year  after  the  date  of  the  former  exami¬ 
nation  whether  or  not  the  competitor  has  been  three  times  certified. 
A  person  who  lias  been  notified  of  his  failure  to  pass  in  an  examina¬ 
tion  may,  upon  filing  a  new  application  in  due  time,  enter  the  next 
examination  when  held. 

13.  An  application  filed  for  one  semiannual  series  of  examina¬ 
tions,  or  for  a  specially  announced  examination,  will  not  be  good  for 
any  other  examination,  whether  the  applicant  be  examined  or  not. 

14.  No  examinations  are  held  and  no  appointments  are  made  in 
the  United  States  to  fill  ordinary  clerical  positions  in  the  post-office, 
custom-house,  and  internal-revenue  services  and  in  trades  positions 
in  the  Philippines.  Thus  far  no  difficulty  has  been  experienced 
in  filling  such  positions  through  the  appointment  of  Filipinos  and 
of  Americans  resident  in  the  Philippine  Islands.  It  is  useless  for 
persons  in  the  United  States  to  seek  appointment  to  positions  in 
the  Philippine  civil  service  unless  they  have  professional,  t&jh 
nical,  or  scientific  qualifications,  or  special  clerical  ability ,  with 
special  qualifications,  such  as  those  of  a  stenographer  and  type¬ 
writer,  bookkeeper,  etc. 


3 


15.  Applicants  for  any  position  in  connection  with  the  schools  of 
Porto  Ixico  or  Hawaii  should  address  the  Commissioner  of  Education, 
San  Juan,  P.  R.,  or  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  Honolulu, 
Hawaii,  respectively. 

16.  Whenever  free  delivery  is  to  be  established  at  a  post-office 
a  board  of  examiners,  composed  of  employees  of  such  office,  is  organ¬ 
ized,  which  board  furnishes  to  applicants  application  blanks  and 
information  relative  to  the  examination  which  is  held  preliminary 
to  the  establishment  of  free  delivery.  For  information  relative 
to  appointment  to  positions  in  post-offices  prior  to  the  establish¬ 
ment  of  free  delivery  application  should  be  made  to  the  Postmaster- 
General,  Washington,  D.  C. 

17.  Applicants .  for  examination  for  rural  letter  carrier  should 
apply  to  the  postmaster  at  the  office  on  the  route  upon  which  free 
delivery  is  to  be  established  or  to  the  United  States  Civil  Service 
Commission,  Washington,  D.  C.,  for  information  as  to  when  an 
examination  will  be  held. 

18.  Persons  who  desire  appointment  to  the  positions  of  mail 
weigher  and  porter  in  the  Railway  Mail  Service  should  apply  and 
take  the  examination  for  railway  mail  clerk.  Appointment  to  the 
position  of  sea  postal  clerk  is  usually  made  by  transfer  or  promotion 
from  the  Railway  Mail  or  Post-Office  Service,  and  application  should 
be  made  to  the  Postmaster-General,  Washington,  D.  C. 

19.  Applicants  will  be  duly  notified  of  averages  as  soon  as  papers 
are  rated,  and  letters  of  inquiry  are  useless  and  will  not  hasten  the 
information  sought. 

20.  The  Commission  does  not  furnish  railway  mail  guides  or  . 
maps  of  the  railway  mail  divisions.  These  may  be  obtained  from 
publishing  houses  or  booksellers.  The  Commission  does  not  fur¬ 
nish  reading  address  cards. 

21.  Applicants  for  appointment  to  the  position  of  cadet  in  the 
Military  Academy  at  West  Point,  N.  Y.,  midshipman  in  the  Naval 
Academy  at  Annapolis,  Md.,  or  cadet  in  the  Revenue-Cutter  Service 
should  address  the  Secretary  of  War,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy, 
or  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  Washington,  D.  C.,  respectively. 

22.  Applicants  for  appointment  to  positions  in  the  Consular 
Service  should  address  the  Secretary  of  State,  Washington,  D.  C. 

23.  Applicants  for  positions  in  the  Ordnance  Department  at 
Large,  War  Department,  for  which  no  educational  test  is  given, 
should  address  the  secretary  of  the  local  board  of  examiners  at 
the  ordnance  establishment  at  which  employment  is  sought. 

24.  4  •  ■  its  for  positions  in  the  Light-House  Service,  Depart- 

r:  >  uerce  and  Labor,  for  which  no  educational  test  is  given, 

sho;  hi  itddress  the  inspector  of  the  district  in  which  employment  is 

>ugiit. 


4 


25.  Applicants  for  positions  in  the  Life-Saving  Service,  Treasury 
Department,  for  which  no  educational  test  is  given,  should  address 
the  keeper  of  the  station  nearest  their  place  of  residence. 

26.  Applicants  for  positions  in  the  Engineer  Department  at  Large, 
War  Department,  for  which  no  educational  test  is  given,  should 
address  the  secretary  of  the  local  board  of  examiners  at  the  head¬ 
quarters  of  the  engineer  district  in  which  employment  is  sought. 

27.  Applicants  for  appointment  to  mechanical  trades  and  similar 
positions  in  the  navy-yards  should  address  the  secretary  of  the  board 
of  labor  employment  at  the  navy-yard  where  employment  is  sought. 

28.  No  application  will  be  approved  if  on  the  date  of  the  exami¬ 
nation  the  applicant  is  under  the  minimum  or  more  than  one  year 
over  the  maximum  age  limitation.  These  limitations,  however,  do 
not  apply  to  applicants  allowed  preference  in  appointment  under 
section  1754,  Revised  Statutes. 

22.  All  officers  and  employees  in  the  service  of  the  Isthmian  Canal 
Commission  upon  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  except  those  who  are 
to  perform  the  duties  of  clerk,  bookkeeper,  stenographer,  typewriter, 
surgeon,  physician,  interne,  trained  nurse,  or  draftsman,  are  excepted 
from  examination. 

For  information  in  regard  to  other  positions  on  the  Isthmus 
address  the  Secretary  of  the  Isthmian  Canal  Commission,  Wash¬ 
ington,  D.  C. 

30.  Section  1754  of  the  Revised  Statutes  provides  that  persons 
honorably  discharged  from  the  military  or  naval  service  by  reason  of 
disability  resulting  from  wounds  received  or  sickness  incurred  in  the 
line  of  duty  shall  be  preferred  for  appointments  to  the  civil  offices,  pro¬ 
vided  they  are  found  to  possess  the  business  capacity  necessary  for 
the  proper  discharge  of  the  duties  of  such  offices.  A  person  who  has 
been  allowed  preference  by  the  Commission  has  the  following  ad¬ 
vantages:  ( a )  He  is  released  from  all  age  limitations;  ( b )  he  has  to 
attain  an  average  percentage  of  only  65  to  be  eligible,  while  for  all 
others  the  average  percentage  required  is  70;  (c)  having  attained  an 
average  percentage  of  65,  his  name  is  placed  upon  the  register  above, 
and  is  certified  before  all  others  who  have  not  been  allowed  prefer¬ 
ence;  and  {d)  lie  is  released  from  the  law  and  rules  relating  to  ap¬ 
portionment  of  appointments.  If  on  the  same  register  the  names  o 
more  than  one  preference  claimant  appear,  the  name  of  the  claimant 
having  the  highest  average  percentage  will,  of  course,  head  the  list. 
Preference  under  this  section  does  not  apply  to  promotion  examine 
tions,  or  to  examinations  for  the  Philippine  service. 

The  President  on  July  5,  1906,  directed  the  Commission  t< 
in  their  order  of  standing  on  the  eligible  register,  next<after  engibies 
entitled  to  preference  under  section  1754  of  the  Revised  Statutes 
persons  honorably  discharged  as  water  tenders,  oilers,  and  firemen 


5 


from  the  United  States  Navy  for  the  position  of  fireman;  persons 
honorably  discharged  as  warrant  machinists  in  the  Navy  for  the 
position  of  chief  engineer  or  assistant  engineer,  and  persons  honorably 
discharged  as  noncommissioned  officers  in  the  United  States  Army 
for  the  position  of  watchman  in  the  State,  War,  and  Navy  Depart¬ 
ment  building. 

31.  A  person  holding  a  position  in  the  classified  service  will  not  be 
permitted  to  compete  in  an  examination  of  the  same  kind  as  that 
given  for  the  position  occupied  or  of  the  kind  which  resulted  in 
appointment  to  the  service  until  after  three  years  from  the  date  of 
appointment  except  that  a  person  appointed  from  the  stenographer 
or  the  typewriter  register  may  be  examined  for  stenographer  and 
typewriter  without  regard  to  this  restriction.  It  is  not  necessary 
for  a  person  to  resign  a  Government  position  in  order  to  take  an 
examination  for  a  position  of  a  different  kind  from  that  occupied 
and  of  a  kind  different  from  that  which  resulted  in  appointment  to 
the  service. 

32.  The  civil-service  act  provides  that  whenever  there  are  two 
or  more  members  of  a  family  in  the  public  service  in  the  grades 
covered  by  that  act  no  other  member  of  such  family  shall  be  eligible 
to  appointment  to  any  of  the  said  grades.  The  Attorney-General 
on  May  25,  1907,  rendered  a  decision  that  where  two  or  more  members 
of  a  family  are  in  the  public  service  in  the  grades  covered  by  the 
civil-service  act  the  Commission  is  authorized  and  required  to  with¬ 
hold  from  certification  the  name  of  any  other  member  of  such  family. 
Applications  will  be  accepted  from  such  persons,  but  their  names 
will  not  be  certified  so  long  as  two  or  more  members  of  their  family 
are  in  the  service. 

Very  respectfully, 

U.  S.  CIVIL  SERVICE  COMMISSION. 


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